Thomas Iacobucci | The Crow’s Nest
By Manuel Vicente Lalande
Student Government representatives have introduced a resolution to eliminate single-use plastics from the campus.
The resolution, titled “Break Free from Plastics,” was introduced at a Nov. 4 SG meeting. It was written by the nonprofit Public Interest Research Group and is intended to “establish a purchasing policy which eliminates campus and food vendor procurement of all non-essential, non-compostable, single-use disposable plastics.”
PIRG Field Organizer Arielle Mizrahi brought the resolution to the attention of Andrea Rodriguez Campos, director of Sustainable Initiatives, through the USF St. Petersburg Center for Civic Engagement. Rodriguez has been pushing for this resolution ever since.
Identical copies were sent to a total of 35 university campuses across the United States. The president of Eckerd College has already signed the resolution as a pledge for their campus to be plastic-free by the same deadline.
The resolution features statistics that illustrate the ways disposable plastics are almost irreversibly polluting the environment and delineates measures that college campuses need to take to prevent contributing to the epidemic.
All colleges are invited to take the pledge by next spring.
“Break Free from Plastics” will have a final reading and vote on Nov. 18 in Ballroom 3 of the Student Center.
At the policy committee meeting on Nov. 8, the resolution was presented as “a coalition of St. Pete, encouraging the city and the state to do go plastic free” Rodriguez said.
She added “this is something that the students want, and it’s something that the city needs to take care of.”
On the PIRG website, the nonprofit is defined as “a consumer group that stands up to powerful interests whenever they threaten our health and safety.” The organization claims no political view, focusing instead on initiatives that aim to improve the quality of life of the American public.
The resolution goes on to explain that they will make these efforts “while keeping accessibility and affordability at the forefront of decision(s).”
Asked about potential hurdles in taking action like this, Rodriguez said that with consolidation looming closer, there have been members of SG who have chosen to make legislature more difficult to pass, out of fear of future complications.
However, she remains confident in Student Government’s ability to bring the resolution to fruition.
“We have the faculty and administration on our side, and I think our odds are really good.”
